Group G is unique in the fact that Växjö played all of the other three teams at some point in last year's Champions Hockey League, and lost to all of them on the road. On the other hand Bern and Salzburg have both played in Great Britain before and lost, but not to the Devils, while Cardiff were unbeaten at home against Swedish and Swiss opposition last season.
Växjö Lakers
- Qualified as: SHL champions
- Fifth appearance; Finalists in 2018
- Club information
The Växjö Lakers return to the CHL after a fantastic 2017/18 season, advancing to the finals where they lost out to JYP of Finland. They also had a remarkable campaign in the SHL, storming to their second straight league title with a massive 116 point season, leaving the rest of the competition in the dust. They’ll go back into this years CHL without their MVP star forward Elias Pettersson who is expected to join up with the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL this season, but back to back SHL Coach of the Year Sam Hallam still has a whole host of talent at his disposal to try and go that one step further this year.
Once again Viktor Fasth will guard the cage for the Swedish Champions as the former NHLer returns for his second season while 24-year-old Viktor Andren has proved himself a more than capable backup option. Team Captain Liam Reddox is back for more in Växjö as well and will be one of the leading parts driving the side to success, as he’s back for his eighth straight year. Växjö have done a great job balancing veteran leadership with young talent over the years and this season is no different.
SC Bern
- Qualified as: National League Regular Season winners
- Fifth Five appearance; Quarter-Finals in past two seasons
- Club information
After back-to-back league titles, a common theme in Group G, SC Bern are looking to get revenge on group opposition Växjö who knocked the Swiss side out in the playoff rounds last year. Head Coach Kari Jalonen has done a great job bringing in some highly talented new faces, such as former NHLer Jan Mursak who joins from Swedish giants Frölunda after posting 20 points in just 15 games for them last season.
Mursak joins a forward unit in Bern with a great mix of experience with veterans like Andrew Ebbett who’s back for a fourth year with the club, and was an alternate captain for the Canadian Olympic team this past February. On defence Bern have introduced another former Frölunda player in Adam Almquist who just last year led the CHL in assists by a defencemen, helping his team to the knockout rounds putting up 10 assists in 7 games, a total that was only beaten by teammate Ryan Lasch, and matched by Joel Persson of Växjö.
There’s no more dominant goalie in the Swiss league over recent years than Leonardo Genoni, and despite rumours of him moving on, he’s going to look to be the brick wall Bern need again to help them further than they ever have been in the CHL.
Red Bull Salzburg
- Qualified as: EBEL Pick Round runners-up
- 5th CHL appearance, Round of 16 in 2014/15 & 2017/18
- Club information
The only team in Group G who haven’t come into this years CHL as double league champions, Salzburg aren’t far off the rest, finishing second in the EBEL for the past two seasons behind the Vienna Capitals, but winning three straight in the years before. Salzburg have been under the steady guidance of Head Coach Greg Poss since 2016, and he’s looking to repeat the success he’s had in his coaching career, picking up DEL and ECHL titles, and he’ll have his eye on the prize this season with his Salzburg side.
It’s all change in net for Salzburg, Bernhard Staurkbaum and Luca Gracnar have both moved on, while Lukas Herzog will compete with Stephen Michalek for the starting duties, both coming into the side with different levels of experience in their mid-20s, with Michalek getting his first taste of European action after spending last season with the Iowa Wild in the AHL, while Herzog joins from Austrian rivals VSV, impressing with a .922% save percentage last year.
Salzburg still have the aging veteran Matthias Trattnig as a leading force on their side who, even at 39-years-old, has shown he can still get the job done both on defense and on the wing and could be expected to captain the side again this season in his fifth straight CHL campaign for the side who his 154 goals, 289 assists and 443 points are all franchise records.
Cardiff Devils
- Qualified as: Elite League Champions
- Second appearance; Group Stage in 2017/18
- Club information
No team has been able to match the dominance of the Cardiff Devils in the EIHL over the past two seasons as the back to back league champions look to go for three in a row this season, while also look to improve on a decent CHL campaign from last season. Head Coach Andrew Lord will be permanently behind the bench this year after retiring as a player coach last season and has kept a largely similar group of players in South Wales as the group that defeated HC Davos and Växjö last season.
With a few players moving on or retiring, the Devils will rely once again on goalie Ben Bowns to guard the cage, while the additions of Charles Linglet (KHL), Ben Blood (Liiga), Mike Hedden and Stephen Dixon (both DEL) bring a wealth of experience as the Devils gear up to try and pull of a few upsets in Group G.